Spinal hardware infection
From IDWiki
Background
- Also known as postoperative spinal implant infection
Classification
| Classification | Acute Infection | Chronic Infection |
|---|---|---|
| Pathogenesis: post-interventional | <6 weeks post-interventionally (early onset) | ≥6 weeks post-interventionally (late onset) |
| Pathogenesis: hematogenous or per continuitatem | <6 weeks of symptoms | ≥6 weeks of symptoms |
| Clinical presentation | acute pain, fever, prolonged wound secretion (>7-10 days), acute neurological deficits | chronic pain, implant migration or loosening, fistula, neurological deficits |
| Typical pathogens | Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Gram-negative bacteria | coagulase-negative staphylococci, Cutibacterium acnes |
Management
- Empiric therapy should be with vancomycin plus ceftriaxone or vancomycin plus piperacillin-tazobactam
- Antimicrobial management depends on the surgical approach:
- For removal of all hardware, treat with 6 weeks total (at least 2 weeks IV)
- For retainment with plan for eradication, treat with 12 weeks total (at least 2 weeks IV)
- For single-stage replacement, treat with 12 weeks total (at least 2 weeks IV)
- For retainment with plan for eventual removal, treat with at least 2 weeks IV followed by oral suppression until hardware removal
- Chronic suppressive antibiotics should be considered with difficult-to-treat organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, resistant Gram-negative bacteria, and fungal infections)
Further Reading
- Infection with spinal instrumentation: Review of pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and management. Surg Neurol Int. 2013;4(Suppl 5):S392-403. doi: 10.4103/2152-7806.120783
- Antibiotic treatment of postoperative spinal implant infections. J Spine Surg. 2020;6(4):785–792. doi: 10.21037/jss-20-456
